[Archived] Election

[RibbleValleyRover]

As of last year 57% of exports were to the EU, 55% of imports.

We would be (even more) crippled if we left the EU. I support the EU (which means I'm not a Tory).

Simple scrap the EU but have trade agreements between the countries, maybe also set up a freedom of movement agreement as well. The EU is a stupid system, decision making made by some idiots in Brussels who have no concept of the effect they have in each country. Logic dictates we should be looking to extend our trade to the booming economies of India, China and the rest of Asia.

We could easily live without the waste of money that is the EU.

[BuckyRover]

Not sure who Michael Green is but Philip Green uses every scam in the book to avoid paying taxes on the tens of millions he awards himself every year for selling tatty clothing. Taking lessons from the non-dom Michael Ashcroft of Belize no doubt. Cowboys such as Green are typical of the tax-avoiding crooks in the private sector; public sector employees pay their taxes.

And yet they will both pay more tax in a year than you will have contributed in a lifetime.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11539238 -- Tax relief on pensions slashed. The limit under Labour was £255k. It was good to be wealthy back then.

I saw something funny the other day on Look North (Yorkshire). A council were proposing to turn off 1 streetlight in 2 or 3 (so there would still be light) between the hours of 12 and 5am. It would also not be done in areas with an above average crime rate. It would save a few million pounds a year. Fairly sensible.

They asked a few villagers who seemed keen on the idea, nobody was opposed (much to the disappointment of the journalist). The only person who was opposed....the Labour councillor. He said it was going back to Victorian times, crime would rocket and shift workers would be scared.

Ha

[Bazzanotsogreat]

Not sure who Michael Green is but Philip Green uses every scam in the book to avoid paying taxes on the tens of millions he awards himself every year for selling tatty clothing. Taking lessons from the non-dom Michael Ashcroft of Belize no doubt. Cowboys such as Green are typical of the tax-avoiding crooks in the private sector; public sector employees pay their taxes.

Yet you choose to ignore the deplorable symbiotic relationship between the Labour party and the unions. Currently if you want to join a union you also donate to the Labour party, irrespective of whether you vote for them or not… talk about crooked

Secondly, you also forgotten to mention t the Tens of millions that the unions cipher each year from the public coffers, again irrespective of whether you are in a union or not.

[RovertheHill]

This is a really useful website for those that are interested in what the UK spends - plus it goes all the way back to the 1690's which is REALLY interesting!

[colin]

Yet you choose to ignore the deplorable symbiotic relationship between the Labour party and the unions. Currently if you want to join a union you also donate to the Labour party, irrespective of whether you vote for them or not… talk about crooked

Secondly, you also forgotten to mention t the Tens of millions that the unions cipher each year from the public coffers, again irrespective of whether you are in a union or not.

Bazza

1 The symbiotic relationship between Trade Unions & The Labour party is not really surprising as the former formed the latter

2 I'm in a union & I don't, & it doesn't, donate to the Labour Party. Only trade unions affilliated to the Labour Party donate to them.

3

the Tens of millions that the unions cipher each year from the public coffers

I think we need a bit more evidence about this. Do you have anything?

Cheers

Colin

[Bazzanotsogreat]

Bazza

1 The symbiotic relationship between Trade Unions & The Labour party is not really surprising as the former formed the latter

2 I'm in a union & I don't, & it doesn't, donate to the Labour Party. Only trade unions affilliated to the Labour Party donate to them.

3

I think we need a bit more evidence about this. Do you have anything?

Cheers

Colin

1.I like people am aware of the history of the Labour party. What people don't expect, is to join a u union and to find out that your money is funding a political party.

2. Most of the major unions dontae to the Labour party. Without their funding the Labour party would cease to exist

Union Modernisation Fund

[colin]

What people don't expect, is to join a union and to find out that your money is funding a political party.

Proof please, rather than conjecture & opinion.

You've stated it, now it's up to you to provide some solid information & proof rather then relying on me to contradict your statement. As often happens in internet conversations.

Please concentrate on the quote you've given above.

I look forward to your reply

Cheers

[jim mk2]

And yet they will both pay more tax in a year than you will have contributed in a lifetime.

Idiotic statement.

I pay my taxes, they avoid them.

Amusing to see Ed runs rings round Cameron in their first Commons confrontation this week.

Matthew Engel records the event in his usual beautiful prose.

http://www.ft.com/cm...144feabdc0.html

[thenodrog]

Idiotic statement.

I pay my taxes, they avoid them.

I completely disagree. We come into the world with nothing and we leave the world with nothing. I understand some people have some of life's misfortunes stacked against them and need help but why do you expect others to pay for you and yours whilst you meander irresponsibly and idly through your life? You appear to be viewing UK taxation as some sort of compulsory charity.

[berkshireblue]

Idiotic statement.

I pay my taxes, they avoid them.

Amusing to see Ed runs rings round Cameron in their first Commons confrontation this week.

Matthew Engel records the event in his usual beautiful prose.

http://www.ft.com/cm...144feabdc0.html

Jim you really do have a narrow minded view

If it was not for entrepeneurs like Philip Green, employing thousands of people, generating millions of private sector profits and in turn contributing millions in VAT taxes etc into the UK economy, there would be no public sector budgets to be cut

Have you seen how much big business through tax support the benefits system

The Truth is that the private sector have been responsibly keeping costs down to survive for many years, the public sector have not had to, a budget to them is how much do I have to waste , sorry spend. For years they have wasted money ,got their pay and gone home at 5pm wiht no cares in the world...Please note I am not referring to nurses, teachers, policemen etc, I firmly believe front line resources should not be cut, and in fact they can be protected if the cuts, yet to be revealed , are done case by case and sensibly

Now that councils and quangos are starting to be held accountable for years of prolific waste there is a union and media generated bandwagon talking doom and gloom...

These cuts have happened for years in the private sector, now that 3 year redundancy packages and final salary pensions are under threat in the coveted public sector people are in uproar

PS Cameron cremated Red Ed on his attack on middle ENGLAND, bit like Boy v Man

Personally dont like any politicians , all in it for themselves but glad Ed has got you excited, I would bet by the time the next election comes, he will have been replaced by his brother as leader

[jim mk2]

I completely disagree. We come into the world with nothing and we leave the world with nothing. I understand some people have some of life's misfortunes stacked against them and need help but why do you expect others to pay for you and yours whilst you meander irresponsibly and idly through your life? You appear to be viewing UK taxation as some sort of compulsory charity.

I don't normally respond to your taunts but I have to this time because you have twisted every word I have said.

Where have I stated that "I expect others to pay for you and others" ?

Before retirement I worked every day of my life for 47 years. Who are you to judge that I "meander irreponsibly through life" ?

Where in what I have I posted can you take the view that "I view UK taxaxation as some sort of complusory charity" ?

I said that I have paid my taxes all my life and I don't see why people such as Philip Green and Michael Ashcroft because they are rich have managed to avoid paying theirs. I do not see this as unreasonable view.

I have said this before and others have noted it too, but you seem to have difficulty comprehending simple English and in doing so distort the words and twist the meanings of other people's posts. Your post above is wrong and unfair. i have responded to your post this time but will not do so again unless you can debate these matters sensibly.

[thenodrog]

Jim you really do have a narrow minded view

The Truth is that the private sector have been responsibly keeping costs down to survive for many years, the public sector have not had to, a budget to them is how much do I have to waste , sorry spend. For years they have wasted money ,got their pay and gone home at 5pm wiht no cares in the world...Please note I am not referring to nurses, teachers, policemen etc,

Now that councils and quangos are starting to be held accountable for years of prolific waste there is a union and media generated bandwagon talking doom and gloom...

These cuts have happened for years in the private sector, now that 3 year redundancy packages and final salary pensions are under threat in the coveted public sector people are in uproar

Correct. Jim bangs on about the years of boom and bust under the tories whilst completely refusing to acknowledge any economic failure from 13 years of Labour misrule, but the truth of the matter is that to date the public sector have been completely cut off from the consequences of recession and boom and bust economy. Redundancies / bankruptcies etc have always been something for the great unwashed in the private sector to deal with. It's simply never got close to the cossetted public sector workers has it? That is until now of course. It's no wonder they don't like it really is it?

btw I hope you aren't absolving all nurses, teachers and policemen from being crap at their jobs. Plenty of them are of poor standard and hiding behind the excellence of their colleagues.

btw2 Margaret Thatcher tried to make free spending councils responsible to the electorate by replacing the ludicrous rating system with the excellent and completely fair Poll Tax but we all know now that the whole issue was hi-jacked and turned around by irresponsible political mischief makers.

[jim mk2]

Jim you really do have a narrow minded view

If it was not for entrepeneurs like Philip Green, employing thousands of people, generating millions of private sector profits

The Truth is that the private sector have been responsibly keeping costs down to survive for many years,

I have no problem with entrepreneurs. All I ask is they pay their taxes like everyone else. The Tory chairman has hidden his wealth in Belize for years to avoid paying tax. Is this fair ?

The private sector "responsibily keeping down costs" is another way of saying paying employees as little as possible. In the meantime executives and boardroom pay has rocketed. The difference between the highest and lowest pay in the public sector is 66 : 1; in the private sector it is 200 : 1.

I always laugh when private sector sector managers complain that something is "not good for business". Of course what they really mean is their profits might be squeezed and they won;t be able to pay themselves such generous bonuses.

[den]

Philip Green

Only WIKI I know, but take a look at the comments under "criticisms", at the way he allegedly runs his businesses and tax affairs.

[thenodrog]

I don't normally respond to your taunts but I have to this time because you have twisted every word I have said.

Where have I stated that "I expect others to pay for you and others" ?

Before retirement I worked every day of my life for 47 years. Who are you to judge that I "meander irreponsibly through life" ?

Where in what I have I posted can you take the view that "I view UK taxaxation as some sort of complusory charity" ?

I said that I have paid my taxes all my life and I don't see why people such as Michael Green and Michael Ashcroft because they are rich have managed to avoid paying theirs. I do not see this as unreasonable view.

I have said this before and others have noted it too, but you seem to have difficulty comprehending simple English and in doing so distort the words and twist the meanings of other people's posts. Your post above is wrong and unfair. i have responded to your post this time but will not do so again unless you can debate these matters sensibly.

Jim you always bang on about soaking the rich with taxation. It's your political backstop and if you don't know it everybody else does.

[jim mk2]

Jim you always bang on about soaking the rich with taxation. It's your political backstop and if you don't know it everybody else does.

I notice you have not apologised or taken back your unfair previous post but that was only to be expected.

I make no apologies calling for the wealthy to pay more tax and for tax avoidance loopholes to be closed.

I won't be responding to you again.

[Amo]

Surely if you tax the hell out of the rich they'll leave the country and take their money with them?

[Bazzanotsogreat]

Proof please, rather than conjecture & opinion.

You've stated it, now it's up to you to provide some solid information & proof rather then relying on me to contradict your statement. As often happens in internet conversations.

Please concentrate on the quote you've given above.

I look forward to your reply

Cheers

Evidence of what ? That the unions fund the Labour party?

[dave birch]

If it was not for entrepeneurs like Philip Green, employing thousands of people, generating millions of private sector profits and in turn contributing millions in VAT taxes etc into the UK economy, there would be no public sector budgets to be cut

Have you seen how much big business through tax support the benefits system

The Truth is that the private sector have been responsibly keeping costs down to survive for many years, the public sector have not had to, a budget to them is how much do I have to waste , sorry spend. For years they have wasted money ,got their pay and gone home at 5pm wiht no cares in the world...Please note I am not referring to nurses, teachers, policemen etc, I firmly believe front line resources should not be cut, and in fact they can be protected if the cuts, yet to be revealed , are done case by case and sensibly

Now that councils and quangos are starting to be held accountable for years of prolific waste there is a union and media generated bandwagon talking doom and gloom...

These cuts have happened for years in the private sector, now that 3 year redundancy packages and final salary pensions are under threat in the coveted public sector people are in uproar

Berkshire, could you explain to me exactly how VAT works? I was always of the opinion that it was the end user that paid it, as those in the middle could recoup that

VAT that they had paid.

Private sector profits? Paid where? Paid after personal tax has been paid?

Apropos the "private sector", have you ever heard of "transfer pricing"? Could you explain what that is, and why businesses engage in its practice?

I note that you complain of Council waste. Fair enough, but what have you done about that? Have you stood for council? Have you ever gone to a council meeting and said "No more"?

If "these cuts have happened for years in the private sector", then I would say to you that the businesses, over the last ten years, have been looking to fail. They've had bad management full stop. Just because you are in boom times does not mean employ everything that moves, for when the bad times come, it costs more to get rid than if they had never been employed.

Please explain why you don't include nurses, police and teachers in the waste? Surely there are wastrels amongst them? Why shouldn't they face the axe?

Yes, you need to encourage entrepeneurs, but if you want to live in a country with a decent level of living, everyone needs to pay their fair share. High fliers with the ability to offload their income to a place where they pay buggar all are nothing but freeloaders living off backs of people that are unable to respond in kind.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Evidence of what ? That the unions fund the Labour party?

Guido had a great diagram showing how the scam worked:

Good news is that I believe its being scrapped in the bonfire of the Quangos.

[dave birch]

Guido had a great diagram showing how the scam worked:

Good news is that I believe its being scrapped in the bonfire of the Quangos.

What, Guido's diagrams?

If you mean Union contributions, It would be interesting to see the overall effects of that on the political landscape in the UK.

[thenodrog]

I notice you have not apologised or taken back your unfair previous post but that was only to be expected.

I make no apologies calling for the wealthy to pay more tax and for tax avoidance loopholes to be closed.

I won't be responding to you again.

I wish!

It'd be interesting though to hear your explanation as to why you are happy to adopt the behaviour of a base parasite to move through life living on the back of others. Did you have a disadvantaged childhood?

btw Until today I did not think you could even spell the word 'apologise' never mind incorporate it in a sentence. Lo and behold though you've managed to use it twice in one post! Well done. Famine to feast.

[RovertheHill]

I have no problem with entrepreneurs. All I ask is they pay their taxes like everyone else. The Tory chairman has hidden his wealth in Belize for years to avoid paying tax. Is this fair ?

The private sector "responsibily keeping down costs" is another way of saying paying employees as little as possible. In the meantime executives and boardroom pay has rocketed. The difference between the highest and lowest pay in the public sector is 66 : 1; in the private sector it is 200 : 1.

I always laugh when private sector sector managers complain that something is "not good for business". Of course what they really mean is their profits might be squeezed and they won;t be able to pay themselves such generous bonuses.

I agree with the first line above Jim. However, and this is a genuine question because I do not know the answer, but did Jack move to Jersey for tax reasons? If so did you criticise him?

As for your second paragraph I believe that this has WORSENED under the last labour government which sort of negates your argument about the Tories lining the pockets of their "friends". Gordon Brown was so in bed with the city and top execs that you cannot possibly absolve Labour of any blame for the banking crisis.

[jim mk2]

It'd be interesting though to hear your explanation as to why you are happy to adopt the behaviour of a base parasite to move through life living on the back of others. Did you have a disadvantaged childhood?

And I'd be interested to hear your explanation as to why you are happy to adopt the behaviour of racist bore who goes through life abusing the weak and oppressed. Were you beaten up as a youth by one of your beloved "IndoPaks" ?

Or is it just small man syndrome ?

Either way, you're a pitiful specimen.

Moving on from the low life of Pleasington to the high growth in Germany, it was reported this week that the German economy is experiencing the fastest quarterly growth since reunification in 1991, In annualised terms by about 9 per cent.

The reason for this of course is that Germany still has a large manufacturing base with good management and strong trade unions, whereas the Tories under Thatcher destroyed British manufacturing in the 1980s, leaving the country at the mercy of a service sector infested by greedy bankers.

Leading the German recovery is steelmaker ThyssenKrupp, who manufacture high quality machine tools and automotive parts – everything British workers used to make before the Tories branded them 'the enemy within' and destroyed their industries, communities, and their pride.

Generational unemployment followed – for those who failed to find work in a call centre – and the Tories now blame them for their unemployment, describe their children as 'feral', and attack their daughters' sexual morality.

This is the ConDem government in Westminster.

[jim mk2]

I agree with the first line above Jim. However, and this is a genuine question because I do not know the answer, but did Jack move to Jersey for tax reasons? If so did you criticise him?

As for your second paragraph I believe that this has WORSENED under the last labour government which sort of negates your argument about the Tories lining the pockets of their "friends". Gordon Brown was so in bed with the city and top execs that you cannot possibly absolve Labour of any blame for the banking crisis.

Anyone who moves abroad for tax reasons deserves critiicism - including Jack Walker.

Like Washington and the US subprime lending farago, Labour turned a blind eye to poor practices in the City but the Tories would not have done anything different and it was they of course who deregulated the City in the 1980s - Big Bang , remember that ? The cowboy capitalism that ensued over the past 25 years came to an end in 2008 and hopefully will not return. Osborne makes the right noises about clamping down on the City but I have my doubts. In the end the Tories will always bow to their paymasters in big business.